


Silver and Gold

by snarkymuch



Series: Broken Wings [15]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Wings, College Student Peter Parker, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, Gen, Remembering Yinsen, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28618113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarkymuch/pseuds/snarkymuch
Summary: *You can probably read this as a standalone. Probably. Pretty sure.*Tony loses something important to him, and Peter helps him find it. Tony shares a little about Yinsen and emotions are shared.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Broken Wings [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1588876
Comments: 29
Kudos: 117





	Silver and Gold

**Author's Note:**

> A big thanks to Red-Leafy on tumblr for checking this over. I really appreciate it. This is just a quick one-shot that I needed to write to get an idea out of my head. I hope you like it. Just a reminder, these stories are out of order. Peter is in college in this one.

A few times over the years, Peter had seen it hanging around Tony’s neck, the gold ring suspended from a silver chain. Sometimes when Tony was thinking through a difficult problem or even watching TV, he’d toy with the ring, passing it between his fingers before tucking it back in his shirt. Peter wondered who it once belonged to, but he knew not to ask. It didn’t seem like a topic he should bring up. 

It was something that Peter thought would remain a secret until the day he walked into the kitchen at the lake house to find Tony crawling around the tile floor with a flashlight, searching beneath the fridge. 

He was there for a long weekend, having driven up from college. Visiting Tony, Morgan, and Pepper was something he liked to do. It gave him a chance to spend time with Morgan and make sure she knew it was okay to be a raven. Peter had come a long way over the years in regards to that. He didn’t hide his wings, not like before. People around campus knew he was a raven, which didn’t bother Peter as much as he once thought it would. He learned to ignore the looks of contempt. He needed not to hide. He needed to do better, be better, for Morgan and all the other ravens out there. 

Tony didn’t look up when Peter entered, instead, focusing on the dust bunnies under the large appliance. 

Without interrupting him, Peter’s crouched down, bending his neck to look at whatever had Tony’s eye. After a minute, he cleared his throat and said, “Um, do you need a hand?”

Peter’s voice made Tony jump, and he nearly dropped the flashlight as he pushed himself up. Sitting back against the center island, he flipped off the flashlight and looked at Peter. “Hey, Pete. When did you get here?”

Peter’s knees were starting to protest, so he shifted his weight and dropped to sit on the cold tile near Tony. His gaze drifted to the fridge again, wondering what Tony had been looking for underneath. Looking back at Tony, he shrugged. “Just a little bit ago. I stopped to visit Mo out front. She’s playing in her tent.”

Tony reached up to touch something near his neck but aborted the motion partway through. He dropped his hand back to his leg. “It's good you’re here. I, uh, lost something important, a ring. I had it on a chain around my neck. You’ve probably seen it. I, um, never take it off.”

Peter frowned. “What happened to it?”

Tony sighed, shaking his head. He tossed up a hand. “I don’t know. I think the chain broke. The last time I remember touching it was when I was cutting up apple slices for Morgan a few hours ago.”

Peter still didn’t know the significance of the ring, but he knew it meant something to Tony, so he would help him find it. 

“I’ll help you look. It can’t be far.”

Four hours and a disaster area later, they had searched the house from top to bottom, but no ring to be found. The longer they searched, the more agitated Tony seemed to get. 

Pepper came home near dinner, bringing bags of take out—her soft blue wings on her back. Morgan ran up to her, clinging to her legs, her own little wings arching up in excitement.

They all ate, but Peter could tell that Tony was distracted, and as soon as dinner was over, he excused himself to the garage. Peter watched him walk out the back door with concern. Pepper noticed his worry and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. 

“Is he gonna be all right?” Peter asked, turning back to the mess on the table and helping Pepper clean up. 

Pepper sighed. “It’s not my story to tell, but that ring—that ring means a lot to him. It belonged to someone very special.”

Peter finished cleaning up the table, loaded the dishwasher, and then decided to look around the house one more time. Pepper went to wrangle Morgan into a bath, and Peter eyed the refrigerator. 

“It seems we’re gonna do this the hard way.” He sighed, then walked over to the fridge. Gripping it the best he could, he used his strength to drag the appliance from its spot. Once it was moved, he dusted off his hands and stepped around it, searching the spot for any sign of Tony’s ring. Unfortunately, the only things under it were a few crayons and lego. 

Disappointed, he slid the fridge back into place. 

He turned and leaned against it, his shoulders slumping, but then his eye caught a glint of silver between the pieces of fruit in the bowl on the counter. He kicked off the fridge and grabbed the fruit bowl, dragging it over to him. 

His eyes went wide when he saw a silver chain lying over a banana. One by one, he took the fruit from the bowl and set it on the counter until all that was left was a single gold ring and silver chain lying in the bottom. 

Smiling, he scooped it from the bowl and clutched it in his hand. He did a goofy little dance to celebrate, then nearly tripped over his feet as he all but ran to the back door. 

He had to find Tony. 

When he got out to the garage, he didn’t bother knocking on the old wooden door. Instead, he let himself in, ring clutched in his hand, and searched for Tony. He found him sitting slumped on a stool by his workbench, his mangled wings on display. The sight made Peter pause.

Tony glanced up at him, giving him a weak smile. “Hey, Pete.”

Peter licked his lips, looking down at this hand that held the ring. “I found it. I mean your ring. I found your ring.” 

Tony’s eyes widened, and then he stood so quickly that the stool almost toppled over. He steadied it with a hand, then crossed the room to Peter. 

Peter held it out to him, his palm up. “It was in the fruit bowl.”

Tony plucked it from Peter’s hand and then squeezed it tight. That’s when Peter noticed how shaken Tony looked. His eyes were red-rimmed, and his hair was more disheveled than usual like he’d been tugging on it. 

“Thank you,” Tony breathed. “Thank you, Peter. This is—this means so much to me. I didn’t think I’d see it again.”

Peter smiled, shrugging a little. “It’s okay. I’m just glad I could help.”

Tony held the ring in his fist and smiled. “I really mean it. Thank you. I haven’t taken it off in years, not since Afghanistan.”

Peter bit his lip, chewing it lightly. He wanted to know more, but he was afraid to ask. He didn’t want to pry. “It must be really special to you. I lost Ben’s cross once, the one he used to wear, and I thought I would die, so yeah, I know what it’s like.”

Tony turned, giving Peter a good view of the remnants of his wings, as he walked toward the workbench, opening up the small safe on the counter and putting the ring inside. “Just until I can get a new chain,” he said to it as he locked the safe. 

He turned and leaned his hip against the bench. Sighing, he dragged a hand over his mouth and looked off at a spot behind Peter. “His name was Yinsen, the man who saved me.” He met Peter’s eye. “It was his wedding ring. He, uh, he died saving me, making sure I could escape. I don’t think he ever planned to leave there alive.”

“I’m sorry. That’s awful.” Peter’s voice was barely more than a whisper. “It’s hard losing people.”

Tony nodded, looking down at the floor. “He was a doctor, had these beautiful sparrow wings. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have survived. He helped make me Iron Man. And, um, when they tortured me, cut my wings, he did everything he could to ease the pain. He was a good man. I’ve lived by his dying words.”

Peter bit at the dry skin on his lip, unsure if he should ask. He could tell this was painful for Tony, and he didn’t want to make it worse. Finally, Peter cleared his throat and said, ”What did he say?”

Tony looked off at the wall again, taking a breath before meeting Peter’s eye. “Not to waste it, not to waste my life, and I’ve tried really hard not to let him down. I hope wherever he is, he knows I’ve never forgotten. It’s why his ring means so much to me. Family meant everything to Yinsen. He died to be with his wife and kids again. I won’t waste my chance with mine—with you and Pepper and Mo.”

Peter felt himself growing emotional, his throat ached, and his eyes grew damp with tears. He hesitated for a moment, but then he knew what he needed to do. Crossing the room, he yanked Tony into a hug, pulling himself tight to Tony’s chest. 

Tony stood stiffly for a moment, but then softened, relaxing into it. He pressed a kiss to Peter’s hair. “You all right, kid?”

Peter sniffled, talking into Tony’s shirt. “You’re the one who needed a hug. I think you’re family, too, Tony. Just so you know, I stopped thinking of you like a mentor a long time ago. I guess I started thinking of you like a dad somewhere along the way.”

Tony tightened his arms around Peter, and he felt Tony draw a stuttered breath, exhaling it against his hair. “Yeah, you’ve been my son for a while now, too.”

Peter could hear the steady beat of Tony’s heart, and he let the sound soothe him. After a minute, he quietly spoke. “I’m really sorry you had to go through that.”

“I know, Pete, but you know what? If I hadn’t, I might not have you, and that—that’s an okay trade-off for me. I’d do it all over just to have you as a son.”

That made Peter cry, and he hugged Tony tighter. Tony rocked him gently, humming softly as he did. 

“Love you,” Peter murmured against Tony’s chest. 

Tony pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Love you, too, kiddo. Love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it :)  
> You can find me on tumblr [here](https://snarky-drabbles.tumblr.com/). I'm @snarky-drabbles


End file.
